


In the eye of the beholder

by Monmonmoiru



Category: AFTER LIFE 소원을 담는 만화경 | AFTER LIFE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope (Visual Novel), AFTERL!FE
Genre: Eventual Romance, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I will update tags as we go, I'll definitely have something involving one of them doing the other's hair, M/M, Not Beta Read, Partners to Lovers, Slow Burn, can't wait lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27117952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monmonmoiru/pseuds/Monmonmoiru
Summary: To Ethan, Ghilley started out as a significant annoyance (along with the majority of people he met before) but things changed after a mission where they were partners. Now Ethan has to figure out this complicated feeling in his heart.... And what about Ghilley?
Relationships: Ghilley (AFTER L!FE)/Ethan (AFTER L!FE), Licht/Louis (AFTER LIFE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. The bet

**Author's Note:**

> So... as of now, the game is pretty dead but I love my boys too much to let them go. So here I am, angsting over this slow ass burn couple lol
> 
> Hopefully, I will be able to finish this
> 
> Anyway, *ahem* Thank you to anyone who read, kudo, and comment!

"Ethan! Thou should come with me to this event. I've been wanting to enjoy it for so long!" Louis loudly told his roommate while rolling on his bed.

On the other side of the room, Ethan was busy reading his book and trying his best to ignore the other.

"Ethannnnn!"

"Shut up, you imbecile." The knight finally had enough of his annoying roommate, "Why don't you ask your boyfriend to go with you?"

Louis' eyes brightened at the mention of Licht. "Thy idea is excellent as always! I shall do just that!"

"Licht should have been your first choice to ask anyway, you idiot."

"But I don't want thee to be lonely without me. After all, I know thou will miss my beautiful face when I'm not around! Oh well, so long, my dear, for I will go ask my beloved to join me now!" The prince let out an obnoxious laugh before dashing out of the room, knowing that if he didn't leave soon then Ethan will start pulling his sword out.

Now that he was alone, the redhead could finally relax. After all, all he needed was some peace and quiet. However, that was not an option for him today. 

Soon after, he heard a knock on the door. Annoyed by another interruption, he said, "Go away!"

There was silence on the other side of the door and Ethan thought he got his peace again before a voice behind the door was heard. "Ufufu, how rude, dear Ethan."

 _'Damn it! Trading one annoyance for another. What have I done to deserve this?_ ' Ethan thought to himself.

Of course, without waiting for another invitation, the famed Ghilley waltzed into the room.

"Why are you here?" Ethan asked through gritted teeth, eyes still glued to his book.

"My, can't I just visit my fellow colleague?"

"No."

"Argh, I am wounded!" The black-hair man clutched his chest in a fake pretense of being hurt. "See my bleeding heart? It's your fault, Ethan."

"Good, go die then." Ethan still had not lifted his head to look at the other.

Even though Ghilley wanted to tease the other man more, he was also getting bored of not getting the attention he wanted. Letting out a sigh, he headed back outside while saying, "You're no fun. I will go hang out with someone who can appreciate my joke now. Goodbye, my dear!"

Ethan finally let out a sigh of relief when the door clicked shut and stayed shut.

 _'Good riddance.'_ He thought.

* * *

Once again, fate was not kind to Ethan because he was never granted peace and quiet for long.

A few days later, he was assigned with another mission, and guess who his partner is? That's right, it was Ghilley. Just the two of them.

Said man already came around to annoy his work partner the moment he heard they're going on a mission together. Ethan was trying his best not to stab him and Ghilley somehow found that quite endearing.

On the day both of them head out, Licht and Louis, hand in hand, were at the front gate to send them off like proud parents. The reaction was as expected, Ethan threatened to kill them while Ghilley just laughed.

Once the two reapers have gone off to their mission, Licht and Louis finally let out a sigh.

"Dear, want to make a bet?" The prince asked mischievously.

"You read my mind, darling!" Licht replied with a smirk on his face.

"Let's bet who's going to confess their love first!" Because they knew, they just knew there's going to be love in the air soon.


	2. The mission (and free dessert?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look at these dumbass going on their dat- *ahem* their mission! Also, a stupid spirit appeared!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest with you, I started this thinking I'm the only one reading this but I was pleasantly surprised to see the number of hits this fic gets (although I think I'm the main contributor cause I like to enjoy my own exotic food lmao)
> 
> Anyway, as always, thank you to anyone who read, kudo, and comment!

"I can't believe I agreed to go on this mission with you! I should have requested to go with someone more reasonable." Ethan grumbled.

"Oh, will you just relax? This is going to be fun!"

"This is a mission, not the time to have fun."

"Well, missions can be fun too!" Ghilley was starting to get tired of Ethan mocking him and his fun, and it started so nice too.

Their mission was supposed to be capturing a spirit that haunted this restaurant, causing the atmosphere in it to always tense and customers were always so quick to anger for no reason.

This time, they were planning to disguise themselves as waiters to ask around for information from their "soon-to-be-colleagues" first before capturing the spirit. However, as they stopped in front of the restaurant, a sign caught Ghilley's eyes.

' **Special date night: Free dessert for couples!** '

"Ethan!" Ghilley quickly tucked on his partner's sleeve.

"What?"

"They have free dessert!"

"Yes, for couples. We're dressing as waiters, we don't need-" Ethan cut himself off when he realised what Ghilley was trying to say, "No, absolutely not!"

"Come on, I want that free dessert!"

"We don't even have the right outfit for the occasion!"

"Oh please, we came here earlier than expected so that leaves us plenty of free time and there are definitely some shops nearby that sell decent clothes!"

Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Ghilley, this is pathetic. A grown man like you should not do this for free dessert!"

Ghilley slyly leaned against the other's shoulder despite being pushed off again and again. "But Ethan... it's dessert... and it's free... and I heard they have good dessert in there too... and should I mention again that it's free?"

Believe it or not, Ethan has a big sweet tooth, and somehow his bastard of a partner managed to find out and exploit that. Half an hour later, they came back, fresh with new clothes.

Ghilley got himself in a black suit and a red tie while Ethan was in a grey suit with a blue tie. Ethan had wondered why Ghilley brought so much money; enough to buy two whole suits while still have lots of extras.

_"Always be ready, my dear Ethan! Also, you look good in this suit." Ghilley said. The redhead's only reply was an annoyed huff and a muttered "Ridiculous!"_

They soon found themselves seated in the fancy restaurant as a couple (Ghilley made it very clear to the waiter when they arrived), pretending to flip through the menu.

"We should have come as waiters. Information gathering would be so much easier!" Ethan grumbled, a big frown on his handsome face.

"Come on. Are we really coming back to this again?" Ghilley raised an eyebrow at his annoyed partner.

"Yes, we are back to this again. This mission could have been quick and easy if it weren't for your stupid dessert!"

"Hey, desserts aren't-"

"E-excuse me, are you r-ready to order?" The brave waiter dared to interrupt their argument, fearing that they might become loud.

"Yes!" Both men said while glaring at each other. The waiter quickly wrote their order before rushing away, not wanting to be caught in this war.

Ghilley and Ethan sat in silence, eyes to eyes, challenging one another to speak first. Internally, Ethan was seething. How did it come to this? It could have been an easy mission if it weren't for Ghilley and his stupid dessert!

Meanwhile, Ghilley was annoyed by how uptight the other was. Just give him a break! He even tried to cheer Ethan up earlier. It was not his fault that Mr. Grumpy was like this now, being grumpy, again. Ghilley knew how convincing he could be sometimes but the other should have been firmer with his refusal if he really did not want this.

Before they could start their war again, someone was screaming and drawing the commotion.

A man was standing up, face red in anger, and yelling at his date, who was a petite woman cowering and trying to hide in fear. The man then changed his target and proceeded to yell at the waiters. The security tried to stop the man but he was not budging. Everyone feared violence was going to break out.

Ghilley and Ethan silently manifested their weapon when no one noticed them and saw that the man was busy glancing around while still yelling before his eyes stopped at them and widened slightly in fear. The man quickly closed his mouth, shoved the surprised security guard to the side, and ran out of the restaurant.

Well, they definitely did not have to look far for that spirit then. The reapers were quick to give chase.

For a large man, this spirit sure knew how to maneuver the body to run so fast. It took both men a while to finally chase down the spirit and trapped it in a dark deserted alley with no way out.

"What do we have here?" Ghilley finally said, smirking at the spirit.

"Stay away! I won't come with you! I need to revenge!" the spirit said, looking around for a weapon before noticing a glass beer bottle. He quickly held it and broke it by smashing it against the brick wall before pointing the jagged side towards the reapers.

Ethan let out an amused huff. "You think that little toy can help you? Big mistake!" He lunged forward with his sword in hand, fully expecting the spirit to step backward to get out of harm's way.

However, the spirit did the opposite. Instead of moving back, the man reached out, aiming for a stab. It seemed the spirit did not care for the body it was hosting in.

Before the broken bottle can even make contact with Ethan though, Ghilley quickly pulled his partner back by the shoulder and kicked the other away. The older reaper unconsciously used himself to shield his partner before turning his head slightly to assess the other.

He did not expect to see a wide-eyed Ethan to be staring back at him in surprise and... was that a hint of blush on his cheeks? Why was Ethan getting fluttered? What was this feeling he was experiencing when staring at his partner, especially when he looked like that? What the fuck?

Meanwhile, Ethan couldn't stop looking at the man that just protected him. He could see a sharp glint in those ruby red eyes, Ghilley's hardened face when standing in front of him, glaring at the spirit. He remembered strong arms pulling him back and then placed in front of him to protect him. It has always been Ethan's duty to protect someone, never before had anyone done this for him. A foreign feeling started to rise from within him and he could feel his cheeks heated up... What the fuck?

What the fuck indeed, the spirit wondered. He was stupid enough to wait for the other two to start making their moves again like it was in some show and time was stopping. After the two reapers managed to focus again, it was just quick work of capturing the spirit while it was distracted by the waiting and stayed with the man until he was conscious again, telling him some made-up story to get him to calm down and return to the restaurant.

Still all shook up by their thoughts, the two headed straight back to the dorm. Miss Ellie, their manager, welcomed them back and congratulated them on their success. However, the two barely looked at each other while saying their reports. Thinking they were tired, the manager quickly dismissed them and thanked them for their hard work.

Each of them headed back to their own room. Lucky for them, their roommates were out on a date with each other so they got the rooms all for themselves, which was good because they needed some time to think back to that certain moment.

In the end, they did not leave with the free dessert but with this strange feeling they never bothered to explore before.

 _'But what is it?'_ They both wondered to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I was planning to call the manager just as Miss Manager but that would be weird lol
> 
> Also yeah, I skip the entire fighting cause I suck at describing fights lol
> 
> There will be no specific schedule but I'll try to update this once every week or two cause I absolutely have no idea where this is heading lol


	3. The birthday bash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A birthday party does not always end happily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Ethan being an asshole cause Mr. Stick-in-the-mud can't enjoy surprises.
> 
> Pls believe me when I say I love Ethan dearly lmao
> 
> Anyway, thank you to anyone who read, kudo, and comment!

The next few weeks were awkward for both of them. They kept their interaction to the bare minimum. Licht even found it weird that Ghilley didn’t bother to go tease the nobleman. As for Louis and Ethan, any mention of the black-haired man by the prince immediately got shut down. Even Ms. Ellie was suspecting something between them. 

The awkward moments finally ended when the day of Miss Ellie’s birthday finally came. Everyone (besides you know who) agreed to make a big deal about it because they were all grateful for all the support she gave them since she started working with them. Theo even volunteered to bake her a huge birthday cake.

Ethan was standing alone next to the said birthday cake, wearing his normal uniform despite being at a party, and a slice already on his dish because he might not get that free dessert from the mission, he was not going to miss out on this one. The redhead silently gave his teammate a stamp of approval with how good the cake was. He did not bother to mingle with others, despite Louis' efforts of bringing him into one of the many conversations of his. One glares at the prince with the threat to bodily harm him if he doesn’t shut up from Ethan and he already giggled in nervousness before bolting away with an excuse to find his equally idiotic boyfriend. 

On the other side of the room, Ghilley was standing and chatting with Ellie and Jamie, poking fun at the two kids. For reasons that no one in the party can explain, he was wearing his magician outfit, including the top hat and the small magician stick. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ghilley noticed Miss Ellie come around to make small talks with Ethan, who nodded politely to her as a greeting. Smirking, Ghilley excused himself before approaching the two. 

“Hello, Miss Ellie, happy birthday to you!” The reaper said.

“Thanks, Ghilley! Nice outfit by the way!” She replied.

Ignoring Ethan’s small annoyed mutter about his outfit, Ghilley continued, “Ufufu, thank you for your compliment, my dear manager. I try to make efforts when it comes to important events, unlike some people.” That earned him a heated glare from a certain noble. “Anyway, I have not given you my present yet. Let me do just that. Behold!”

Ghilley then flipped his top hat upside down and tapped it with his stick three times before inviting the manager to put her hand inside the hat and pulled out a small box. That was her present. 

Quickly placing the box on the table that was filled with presents from other reapers, Miss Ellie turned to the two reapers again before clapping her hands in excitement. “That was so cool, Ghilley! How did you do that?”

Being a mysterious being that he was, Ghilley just smiled and said, “Well, a magician never reveals their tricks, or else, it wouldn’t be fun now, would it?” 

“How pathetic.” Miss Ellie and Ghilley’s smiles disappeared after Ethan’s comment. 

“What?” Ghilley asked. 

“Such cheap tricks. Instead of showing off, you could just give it to her directly like a normal person.” Ethan said, no expression on his face. 

Trying not to let the atmosphere get tense, Miss Ellie laughed nervously and said, “Haha, it’s actually pretty fun to see that. Thank you for the gift Ghilley!”

Knowing what the manager was trying to do, Ghilley resisted the urge to roll his eyes and put up a smile again, although this time, it looked fake. “Of course. No problem. Now then Ethan, are you perhaps… jealous that you don’t get a gift this way too? Ohoho, do not worry because when it is your birthday, I’ll give you your own surprise!” 

“I don’t need that sad excuse of a surprise. Seriously, be normal for once and stop being an annoyance!” Ethan said, gritting his teeth. 

Seeing the trio standing there with one of them being the main character of the event and yet looking nervous, the rest of the guests in the room turn their attention to them. No one dared to say a word when Ghilley’s expression immediately darkened. 

“Ethan, I’m getting sick of this shitty attitude of yours. Does it tires you out being an asshole all the time?” He asked.

Someone in the room whispered, “Yeah, once an asshole always an asshole,” but no one paid attention to that.

“What did you say, scum?” Ethan glared at the other man, arms crossing defensively. 

“I said what I said. So what if I’m not normal? At least I’m not hated by some people here! Your attitude is the thing that is abnormal here.”

“Fuck you!” The two were about to lunge at each other before Noah and Youssef quickly stepped in and pulled them away. 

“Guys, stop!” Miss Ellie finally couldn’t take it anymore and yelled. That shocked the two out and wrenched themselves out of the other’s holds, eyes avoiding each other. They were lowly cursing at each other before the manager interrupted them again, “This is not the time to argue. This is the time for everyone to have fun and chill! Perhaps it’s better for both of you to maybe take a walk or have a rest to cool down and then both of you can meet me to have this talk later?” She suggested, eyes hopeful, wishing there was a better way she can settle this. 

Ethan let out a ‘hmmp!’ before stalking out. His roommate hesitated before deciding to follow him out.

Looking at the other two leaving, Ghilley finally let down his guard and sighed. “I’m sorry, Miss Ellie, we ruined your birthday. I didn’t mean to… it’s just...him.” He couldn’t bad talk his colleague because he knew the manager wouldn’t like that but he was still cursing him in his head. 

“I’m kinda sad that you guys aren’t able to get along but it’s alright now. Hopefully, later I can understand why you guys are like this with each other?” Miss manager tried to cheer him up with a smile.

“Hopefully.” He gave her a small smile in return before excusing himself, saying that he might also need to have a rest. They said their goodbyes before he headed back to his room. 

Once he was in the room, he immediately plopped himself on his bed and said to the figure that was following him back to his room, “Licht, you don’t have to worry about me. Go back to your darling.”

“My darling has gone to comfort his own roommate. As your roommate though, it is my duty to do the same.”

Ghilley smirked in amusement. “What, am I a duty to you now?”

“No, no of course not!” Licht shook his head and laughed, knowing his friend was just teasing him.

“Ugh, I know I usually don’t mind people like him but…”

“Ghilley…”

“I don’t know. You know, for some reason, his attitude reminds me of who I was before. Always so strict and yet, heartless. Maybe that’s how… I can’t, I just can’t… It hurts just think back about those times” 

Licht sat down next to Ghilley and wrapped his arms around the other’s shoulder to comfort him. “It’s okay Ghilley. Everything will be alright.”

‘ _ Maybe we were wrong… maybe they really aren’t a good match after all. _ ’ Licht thought to himself. However, in another room in the dorm, a certain prince was thinking otherwise as he tried to comfort his own roommate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND DONE WITH THIS CHAP!
> 
> Also, this chap took so long because my Macbook's screen broke and so instead of fixing the screen I bought a new laptop and had to rewrite everything cause I have not transferred my files over... then I got lazy and start procrastinating lol


	4. An apology is due

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Ethan to do the right thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!
> 
> Second, I wrote this chap late at night and not wearing my glasses so in general Idk wtf I wrote here.
> 
> Anyway, thank you to anyone who read, kudo, and comment!

‘ _This has to be fixed_ ’ Louis thought to himself as he gently closed the door to his room, eyes gazing sadly at his angry roommate. 

“What? Are you here to mock me and defend that idiot?” Ethan asked while throwing his hat harshly onto the floor and just dropped himself onto the bed. 

“Of course not.” The prince said, yet he didn’t dare to approach the noble just yet. “I am here to offer my comfort.”

“Well, I don’t need it. Get out of the room and go play with your stupid boyfriend.” 

Frowning at his roommate, Louis finally decided to pull a chair and sit down facing Ethan. “Ethan, my friend, why art thou so angry? Why did thou almost get into a fight with our fellow reaper?”

The redhead was still glaring at him instead of answering his questions. Letting out a sigh Louis decided to help him cool down first. “Thou should take a few deep breaths. Follow what I’m doing.”

Ethan looked surprised and a bit hesitant at the sudden change in his roommate’s tone but he still decided to follow the advice. He closed his eyes, copied what the prince was doing, and slowly felt his temper simmer down as they continued the activity. After a while, Ethan opened his eyes to see that the other was looking at him with gentle eyes. It made him feel uncomfortable. 

“Was I in the wrong?” He finally asked, eyes glancing down, unable to continue making eye contact with Louis. 

“I don’t know. I’ll never know if thou won’t tell me what happened.”

This time Ethan was ready to talk. “Ghilley was entertaining Ms. Ellie with one of his tricks, nothing harmful. That annoyed me. In fact, for some reason, lately, his mere presence annoyed me. I don’t like it. I suppose I couldn’t hold myself back and I insulted him. I… I admit I was wrong for starting it, but then he started talking about how I’m hated by everyone. He doesn’t understand me, yet, he dared to spit out those words at me.”

“Ethan, deep breath.” Louis reminded his friend. 

Taking another deep breath, the redhead continued, “I know I’m not well received by most people, even before I die, I know people dislike me. I know that! Perhaps because people are too afraid to say those things to my face that I can easily ignore it, but when Ghilley said those things directly to my face, I couldn’t- My defense mechanism just flared up and I couldn’t stop myself.”

Ethan finally looked back up to his friend and asked, “Louis, be honest with me. Do you hate me? Are you just being friendly with me because I’m your roommate?”

The prince was saddened by the question. “Of course not. Although I find thee to be scary at times, I could never hate thee. Thou art my friend, someone that I can confidently say I can trust-”

Before Louis could continue, a knock was heard. Both of them looked at the door wondering who was on the other side. The second knock prompted Louis to go and open the door. 

It was Licht. 

He was quick to assure his beloved prince that everything was fine and that he just wanted to talk to Ethan. Louis offered to step out of the room to allow them some privacy but Licht just held his hand and shook his head. This involved all of them and he might need the prince’s help to get through the redhead. 

Ethan was still sitting on the bed but his mask was back up again when he saw Licht. A scowl was already on his face. 

Licht closed the door for them and gestured for his love to go back to his previous seat while he decided to stand, arms crossed in front of him. 

“Ethan, you’ve upset Ghilley.”

“You think I don’t know? That idiot upset me too!” Ethan glared at him.

“Ethan!” Louis admonished him, “Be honest with thy feelings!”

The noble had the urge to hit the prince but Licht already stood in front of his boyfriend protectively. “I suggest you listen to him.” He said. 

Knowing that he was cornered, Ethan finally gave up. “So what? Are you going over here to beat me up?”

“No, I’m not beating anyone up. I don’t want any violence to happen to begin with. I just need answers. Why? Why did you say those hurtful words to him, Ethan?”

Ethan was tired, and so he decided to be honest and repeated to Licht what he said earlier to his roommate.

Once Ethan finished talking, everyone stayed silent. The blonde and the brunette glanced at each other, almost as if they were communicating with each other just through their eyes. As if they finally decided on something, both of them nodded and Licht broke the silence. 

“This is a difficult situation and at least you acknowledge that you were in the wrong. I kind of don’t want to suggest this but I think you guys should talk it out.”

Ethan huffed at that. “Talk? Have you seen us earlier? I don’t think a talk is needed between us. We should ignore each other.”

“I don’t think so. Miss Ellie requested to talk to both of you later on and eventually, she’ll have to put you two in a team during missions. You can’t avoid this forever and neither can Ghilley.”

“Plus, as roommates, Licht and I could not ignore the grievance ye both have to bear right now. We just want to help.”

“You nosy assholes!” Ethan paused when he looked at Louis. Believe it or not, the noble did have a soft spot for his roommate, especially after knowing how he died. Unfortunately, Licht knew this. So when he saw his pleading face, he reluctantly accepted their help while the bastard was smirking at him from behind Louis. The pain was evident on his face as the other two cheered. 

“Okay! So then, besides an apology, I suggest you give Ghilley a gift as an extra for that apology!” Licht said. 

“Ohhh, a gift! What does Ghilley like, my love?” Louis asked excitedly. 

“Well, he loves Catherine-”

“Catherine?” 

“Yeah, Catherine, his plant.”

“[Oh! The one that Ghilley threatened me to stay away from!](https://after-life-eng.fandom.com/wiki/Cross_Stories/5-4_Someone_Else%27s_Shoes)” Louis exclaimed. 

“Yeah, that one darling. Anyway, before we sidetrack, he also likes sweet things, pranking people too! Oh, and-”

Ethan decided to interrupt him. “I think it’s safe to say that we should just go with the sweets. No pranking anyone and I’m not giving a gift to a plant.”

“No, no, a gift to Ghilley that he’ll give to Catherine. But anyway, giving him sweets is a great idea!” 

“How sweet!” Louis said before giggling at his own joke. Licht could not help but pull him into a hug and kiss his cheek. Ethan just wanted to die. 

“Great, I’ll go buy some sweets and then go apologise to him. Now get out!” 

“What? No, no, no, that’s the wrong way to go!” Licht said, shaking his head, “The gift has to come from the heart, so it’s best if you make them!”

“I don’t know how to bake!” Who did Licht think Ethan is? He was a damn noble, never before had he stepped foot into the kitchen, let alone do baking or cooking.

“Don’t worry! I got some recipes! We’ll help you make some cookies tomorrow!” Licht volunteered, already running back to his room to prepare the recipes. 

“And have both of you ever made them?” Ethan asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“Nope, but it’s going to be fun!” Louis said, clapping his hands. 

The next day was a disaster in the kitchen. Flour was everywhere and they already burned two batches. Before they could give up on the idea, out of nowhere, their lord and savior, Nine, came in. After assessing the situation, the Noctu member let out a defeated sigh and decided to help them out. Finally, they made enough edible cookies to give to Ghilley. Licht apologised to Nine and promised that they will clean up after this. Giving them a nod and a small smile, Nine bid them goodbye (While also silently praying that they keep their promise because Nine was tired of cleaning after people, he needed a REST). 

True to his word, Licht started cleaning and somehow managed to pull his prince in to help him. As for Ethan, before he could offer to help (albeit reluctantly), Licht already urged him to go apologise to Ghilley. 

Listening to Licht’s suggestion of heading to the garden first, Ethan found Ghilley standing alone and laughing to himself, looking very suspicious. He was probably about to pull another prank on some poor soul. 

Taking a breath to steady himself, Ethan marched forward and stopped right in front of Ghilley. The older reaper frowned when he caught sight of the other. 

“What do you want now? Wasn’t yesterday enough?”

“I want…” Ethan found it hard to continue.

“You want what? Ruin everyone’s fun again? Not a chance, buddy.” 

The noble glared at him, but he also tried to calm himself down before starting again, “No, I don’t want anything from you-”

“Good, cause I-”

“I’m sorry!” Ghilley froze at that. Either he was hallucinating or the arrogant noble was apologising to him. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say? I may have misheard it.”

“You!” Oh, how Ethan wanted to punch him but he knew he had to do it. “I’m here to say sorry for my behaviour last night. It was uncalled for.”

“Indeed it was uncalled for. However, did my roommate put you up to this? Because I do not want an insincere apology, especially not from someone like you.”

“What? First off, I wouldn’t be standing here saying sorry to you if I don’t want to, and no one can make me do anything.” Ethan said, rolling his eyes, “second, yes, your roommate may come to my room yesterday to talk with me but he was just there to understand what happened. As for the apology, I do not know how to prove to you that it’s a sincere one but I truly have regrets for saying such things yesterday.”

Ghilley just stood there and looked at him closely. Before Ethan lost his nerve, Ghilley let out a small chuckle. “Fine, let's say your apology is sincere. I’ll forgive you, but you know I can’t forget those words, right?”

Ethan gave him a nod. “Of course, I myself know I can never forget certain words whispered behind my back.”

“Great! As for not knowing how to prove your words, I’ll see what you can do to prove that later on!” Ghilley grinned. The noble could feel nothing good will come out of this, nevertheless, he nodded again. 

Finding that things were settled and done, Ethan hastily turned away but after a couple of steps, he remembered the cookies. Turning around, he saw Ghilley was still standing there, grinning mischievously at him. 

“For you, something extra to go with the apology…” He said, his cheeks dusting with pink. He threw the bag of sweets, not caring whether Ghilley caught it or not, before quickly walking away. 

Blinking at the bag in his hand, Ghilley gingerly opened the bag to see the cookies that are disfigured but edible. He took a bit out of it. Not bad at all. He noticed a note inside the bag, pulling it out. It looked like it was stuffed in quickly: 

_Ethan took his time and made these_

_Hope you appreciate his effort and forgive him_

_He really regrets it!_

_Louis and I will be cheering for both of you～_

_(๑ゝڡ◕๑)_

Ghilley smiled at his thoughtfulness. What a good friend he has. 

“Ghilley!” He heard a familiar voice. It was miss manager. “Meet me in my office with Ethan in half an hour. I want things to be settled soon!” Well then, it’s time to get this over with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya know, I kinda run out of scenario to write for these two without having to fight all the time so if you like, you kind make some suggestions lol


	5. A step forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THEY TALK PROPERLY. EVERYONE SAYS THANK YOU TO MISS MANAGER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry sorry I keep being late but at least I still find the motivation to finish this lol
> 
> This chap was written in a rush because my job is keeping me busy lol
> 
> Anyway, thank you to anyone who read, kudo, and comment!

“Come in!” Ms. Ellie said when she heard a knock on the door. Looking up from her work, she saw that Ghilley walked in first with a satisfied look on his face, followed closely by an annoyed Ethan. Great, at least they aren’t avoiding the problem!

“So then, are both of you willing to explain what happened?” Of course, both looked unwilling to do just that but the manager continued, “As your manager, I feel like a failed you guys for not understanding and being unable to solve this situation for the both of you. Help me understand this and I’ll help you guys talk it out.”

Ghilley and Ethan were caught off guard by how sincere the manager was and immediately felt guilty for making her so worried. Clearing his throat, Ghilley decided to start. “Well, Ms. Ellie, we already talked it out earlier actually. I even heard an apology from him with my own two ears!” He grinned, ignoring the glare from the other male.

“How relieved! It’s great that both of you are on better terms with each other now. However, do you know the reasons why you both act like that?”

They… actually don’t. Although there was an apology, Ghilley still didn’t know why Ethan snapped like that. He just assumed the noble was an asshole through and through. Meanwhile, Ethan just shrugged because the other’s reaction was reasonable enough. Seeing that no one was answering, the manager got her answer. 

Letting out a sigh, she said, “Well then, perhaps now is the time we talk about those reasons. If you both are willing, of course.”

Once again, both males wanted to protest but they also didn’t want to disappoint Ms. Ellie. This time, it was Ethan who spoke first. “I have come to terms and accept that I was in the wrong, Ms. Ellie. As for the reasons… I did not know why I started it. I was feeling extremely agitated and nothing could calm me down. When Ghilley was doing his magic tricks, I could not help but snapped, as if it was the last straw at the end of the day. It was just so irritating seeing him and his tricks at the time. Then when he said those words, or even when he was just teasing at times, I took it as mocking towards me, an attack that I needed to defend myself from, and then I wanted to hurt him just as much as his words hurt me.”

“And why did those words affect you so much?” Ms. Ellie prompted. 

“Because I know people hate me. Even those that are supposed to be my teammates hate me. I’m not one to care about those things because I’m used to it, but sometimes it’s too much.” 

“Of course, we’re human after all. Everyone has their limit.” The manager nodded in understanding. Yet, those words dug deep into Ethan.

“Perhaps so. Perhaps I’m not as strong as I thought.” 

“You’re strong, but it’s okay to show weakness sometimes, Ethan. Maybe think about it through while I talk to Ghilley.” Waiting for the noble to nod in silence, she then turned to Ghilley, “How about you, Ghilley?” 

“I… He reminded me of myself from long ago. The Ghilley that was so different from now. The Ghilley that was bitter and only cared about himself and his work. The one that got betrayed and mocked. It was an extremely tough time for me. Housemaster Sei and the Lead Manager were with me for a long time, helping me get through those times and I am grateful for them. When he snapped at us, it reminded me of that Ghilley, and I didn’t want that at all. It’s hard just remembering it, you know?” Here, Ghilley shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, as if he didn’t just pour his heart out in front of the manager and his teammate. 

Ms. Ellie and Ethan stared at him for a while as if they were unable to find any word before the nobleman decided to speak up again. “Ghilley… I was needlessly cruel to you. Now that I understand more, once again, I sincerely apologise to you.” He awkwardly bowed before standing straight again, face serious. Ethan may not be one to do these kinds of things often but when he knew he was in the wrong, he won’t back down from owning up to his mistakes. 

Ghilley chuckled softly and said, “As I said, I forgive you but I won’t easily forget about this.” The usual smirk returned to his face, “Plus, you gave me cookies as an apology too. They are pretty nice, by the way!”

“Cookie?” Ms. Ellie asked.

“Nothing!” Ethan quickly replied, suddenly having the urge to kick the other man, despite his apology from earlier. Ghilley just cackled. 

Seeing that things are finally settled, the manager smiled at them and said, “Well then, I won’t ask about those cookies anymore. I’m glad you both talked things out and thank you for trusting me and also each other enough to talk about your problems. You both can go now.”

Once both of them were gone, Ms. Ellie plopped herself onto the chair and let out a heavy sigh. ‘ _ Well, that’s outta the way. Now, what did they say about cookies? Wonder if they were in heart shape. _ ’

After that incident, Ghilley and Ethan’s interactions with each other became more awkward yet comfortable. It was strange. Ghilley definitely teased the nobleman a lot less but he also sent him a certain look that was driving Ethan crazy. Later on, Ethan no longer bothered to grumble when Ghilley came over to sleep in the room because Licht and Louis wanted their ‘date night’. 

Things were not back to normal, but both of them are getting used to it, and some part of them actually prefer this over how their relationship used to be. There were fewer harsh words exchanged, there were more understanding and agreements involved. It was like they were… friends, and to them, it was new but nice. 

However, they were not the only ones who noticed the changes. The prince and his boyfriend were over the moon when they saw their roommates getting along with each other. Those ‘date nights’ they were having were not only for them (although Licht and Louis were very appreciative of that) but also for their roommates to have some interactions with each other. 

One time, when Ghilley and Ethan were tolerating each other’s presence in the library, Licht and Louis were nearby, pretending to read some books while glancing at the other two. They did that for a while with a grin on their lips before Louis felt a tap on his shoulder. Surprised, he nearly fell off his chair if it wasn’t for his boyfriend catching him. Looking up, both of them noticed it was Ms. Ellie.

“Hello, darling! How can I help you?” Licht asked. 

“Well… since both of you are their roommates, perhaps you can explain to me what’s with the cookies those two mentioned?” She asked quietly, pointing at Ghilley and Ethan. There was a sly look on her face.

Licht and Louis stared at her, then at each other, and then at her again before they grinned sharply. They took her by the shoulders and led her outside. “My, my, let us head out to the garden and we will tell thee what’s going on with these two, and our plan for them!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP to Ethan's quiet days from now on lmao
> 
> Also, I know I say this is slow burn, but is it so slow burn when I'm planning for this fic to last less than 10 chaps? I should probably change the tag cause I am not patient enough to write slow burn lol


	6. The antics began

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are putting the plan into action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am like a thousand years late but at least it's something lol  
> Hope that anyone is still here to read this is enjoying this as much as I do lol
> 
> Anyway, *ahem* Thank you to anyone who read, kudo, and comment!

Ghilley and Ethan could feel something strange going on. Their roommates and Ms. Ellie has been hanging out a lot lately, like A LOT. Not just that, whenever the pair looked at them, they all smiled suspiciously… as if they had something to hide. While Ghilley was curious about those three, Ethan felt that he couldn’t care less because he honestly has better things to do, like training.

Unbeknownst to them, the Manager, Louis, and Licht had a plan.

\---------- **_Two days ago_ **\----------

_“Are you sure this is going to work?” Ellie asked. She sounded quite worried about their initial plan._

_“Of course, darling! We had everything planned out, from A - Z!” Louis said._

_“Yeah, what he said. I just hope it will go swimmingly.” Licht nodded._

_“... Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s try it out!” Miss Manager said as she stood up, hands slammed against the table, startled Verine, who was taking care of his plants nearby. “Oops, sorry Verine.” The man shakily smiled at her and nodded his head before he focused back on his plants._

_“Great! Now that I have both of my darlings agreeing to this plan, it will make things easier, especially when our beloved Manager is here!”_

_“Yup, no one can say no to our beloved Manager!” Louis clapped his hands in excitement._

_‘Now we just need to put this plan into action. This is a great way to actually get them to get along with each other!’ Ellie thought before they all high-fived each other._

_\---------- **Present** \---------- _

And so day by day, whenever Ghilley and Ethan cross each other’s path, something has to happen. 

\------------------------------------

“It’s locked,” Ethan said, trying to twist the door handle to no avail.

“What do you mean it’s locked?” Ghilley was confused. 

“I mean it’s locked, you idiot!”

“But we just walked in the library!” 

“Well, I don’t know, maybe check again?”

“It’s still locked, stupid.”

“Okay, I’m getting tired of you calling me stupid-”

“Well because you are stupid.”

Before they started another verbal fight, the door clicked and suddenly it was opened by Ellie, she looked nervous. “Well, will you look at that, the door’s opened now!”

“Thank you, Ms. Ellie.” Both men said before marching out, not even looking at each other again. 

\------------------------------------

“Oh, Mr. Ethan, I didn’t know you would willingly fall into my arms like that!”

“Shut the fuck up. I tripped! What am I not allowed to trip?”

“I never say that.”

“Save it. I am busy right now.”

Both of them then continued with their lives.

\------------------------------------

“Hm, what is this? A love letter for Sir Ethan?”

“What? That’s a love letter?”

“... What do you think it was then?”

“They challenge me for a fight…”

“Oh no, how stu-”

“You finish that sentence and I’ll murder you.”

“Be my guest!”

Ethan ran away laughing while the redhead chased after him with murderous intent.

\------------------------------------

“Arrgghhh, why are both of them so stupid?” Kati whined, pulling his hair in frustration.

“To be fair, it’s a miracle Ghilley even figured out that’s a love letter, considering how you write it,” Youssef commented.

“So it’s not Ethan who’s stupid but Kati because he wrote that letter!” Mori said.

Licht and Ellie looked at everyone that was present there in despair. “How did we get to this?” Ellie asked. Oh, they knew exactly how it came to this.

After many failed attempts at getting Ethan and Ghilley together, the rest of the department started to notice what they were doing. They even offered help but none was a success. All because the two targets are too oblivious in the matter of the heart. Even Noah and Youssef were at a loss because they thought THEY were the oblivious pair. In the end, everyone decided to take a break for the sake of their own sanity.

Meanwhile, after a few days of nothing happening, Ghilley and Ethan both felt peaceful yet suspicious at the same time. No tripping, no sudden door locking, no random people touching their shoulders and smiling at them (which made both of their skins crawl, yuck), just peace. 

“Something is not right…” Ethan said when they were spending some time sparring each other.

“You don’t say… it’s rather quiet…” Ghilley answered, “Seems suspicious, considering a few days ago, the whole team won’t leave us alone.”

“You noticed that too?”

“Of course! But Ms. Ellie was there so I suppose there’s nothing to be too worried about.”

“I guess you are right.” 

Silly of them to think that their Manager was not involved in this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DO YOU SEE THAT NOAH X YOUSSEF HINT? Yeah? CAUSE I SHIP THEM SO MUCH

**Author's Note:**

> Look at the L.Losers, I love them so much!!!
> 
> As for the other two, I wish them good luck because they are gonna be big dumb dumb when it comes to their feelings


End file.
